Mining machine with superposed wedge-like cutter



Jan. 19, 1954 J, SPROUL 2,666,628

- v MINING MACHINE WITH SUPERPOSED WEDGE-LIKE CUTTER Filed Feb. 25, 1950i 5 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 19, 1954 MINING MACHINE WITH SUPERPOSEDWEDGE-LIKE vCUTTER Filed Feb. 25, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor.-r/o//A/ 60m/f4 S30/41mm Altorney J. c. sFRoUl. 2,666,628

Jan.19,1954 J..SPROUL 2,666,628

MINING MACHINE WITH SUPERPOSED WEDGE-LIKE CUTTER File?. Feb. 25, 1950 3Sheets-Sheet 5 4/ F/G. 5. l

29c-\ 25e A a7 g r 36 @i Attorneys Patented Jan. 19, 1954 MINING MACHINEWITH SUPERPOSED WEDGE-LIKE CUTTER Glasgow, Scotland, asoulson, Limited,Glasgow,

John Connel I'Sproul,

signor to Mavor & C Scotland Application February 25, 1950, Serial No.146,181

3 Claims.

ing edges that are co-planar, or approximately so, in order that thecutters act along a plane behind and roughly parallel to the verticalface of the seam.

y The present invention relates to machines as 'aforesaid but of apreviously proposed type in which at least one cutter projecting inadvance of the other or others so as, in eect, to plough out from theface a deep furrow, leaving the other cutter or cutters the nowfacilitated task of .stripping off'the coal'or other mineral leftoutstanding above and (or) below the furrow. For instance, in onepreviously proposed construction of machines of this type, there arethree superposed cutters; and it is the intermediate cutter thatprojects well in advance of the cutters above and below it s'o as toplough out fromY the face a furrow at an intermediate level.

.In coal. seams it is Vsometimes found that the coal at diieernt levelshas different characteristics. For instance, -there might be a layer ofcoal which is softer than the coal above and (or) below it. Therearecircumstances under which it is desirable to plough out the advancefurrow at the level of this layer. Some `characteristie other thansoftness might render a layer appropriate for advance cutting.

Therefore, according to this invention, in a mining machine of the typestated two or more superposed cutters are mounted on a supporting headin such a `manner as to be detachable, removable and interchangeable, sothat the forwardly projecting cutter can be set ata selected levelconsidered most appropriate to the nature of the coal or other mineralseam.

A machine ofthe before-mentioned type, designed for mining coal, isshown byway of example in the accompanying drawings to illustrate theinvention. In the drawings, Figs. l and 2 are a diagrammatic sideelevation and a plan of the machine. Fig 3 is a side elevation of thecutter head, drawn to a larger scale, the view being partly in sectionapproximately on the line 3 3 of Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a corresponding planof the cutter head, this view being partly in section on the line 4 ofFig. 3. Fig. 5 isa fragmentary section drawn to a still larger scaleapproximately on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig-116' is a sec- 2, tionalelevation corresponding to Fig. l5, the section being on the line 6-6 ofFig. 1.

The general arrangement of the mining machine to which the invention isshown applied is drawn in simple outline in Figs-1 and 2, theconstruction and operation of the machine in general not being materialto the present invention. In order that the relationship of theinvention to the machine can be adequately understood, the followingbrief description of the machine is given. y

The machine shown is double-ended, comprising mainly a frame like body1, 8, 9 and II), a carriage II and two cutter heads I2 and I3. The bodyconsists of two transverse end walls 'I and 8, to which the heads areconnected, and two longitudinal guide bars' and Ill, on whichthecarriage is slidably mounted.

The carriage incorporates hydraulic propulsion apparatus. This apparatusincludes a vertical hydraulic jack consisting of a cylinder I 4 with akfoot I5, the cylinder being vertically movable in a holder I6incorporated in the. carriage, and a piston-operated head I'I whichnormally rests upon the holder. The propulsion apparatusnalso includes ahydraulic ram unit consisting of a horizontal cylinder lil and a ram I9extending from both ends of the cylinder and engageable at its ends withthe walls 'i and 8.

In Vorder that the machine shall be propelled say from left to right (asviewed in Figs. 1 and 2). the jack'is operated firstly to depress itsfoot I5 against the iioor of the mine and secondly to liftits head I1against the mine roof. The jack thus extended provides a securelyanchored abutment. Next the ram unit is operated so that the ram I9 isforced to the right, the ram thus engaging the wall 8 and pushing theframelike body i-II), with the head I3 leading, upon the mine doortowards the right, the guide` bars 9, I0 sliding through the nowstationary carriage II. Thus, the head I3 performs its cutting stroke.Thereafter, the jack is operated sov that its head is lowered and itsfoot raised, thus contracting the jack and freeing it from the roof andfloor. Finally, the vrain unit is operated so that the ram I9 is forcedto the left, the ram thus engaging the rear wall l and pushing thecarriage II so that it freely slides to the right hand end of the guidebars 9, lil to take up a new position of anchorage Vfor the next cuttingstroke.

Both cutter heads. I 2 and I 3 are of similar construction. Thereforeonly one of the heads,

This completes the cycle of operations..

namely the right hand head I3, is hereinafter described.

In the example, the cutter head comprises a leading cutter at anintermediate level, two cuttters 2| and 22 above the cutter 25, a floorcutter 23 and a roof cutter` 24. The cutters 2li-24 have edges 20A- 26Aall nearly in the same vertical plane A, Figs. 2 and 4. The floor androof cutters also have horizontal edges 23B, 24B. The floor cutter isassociated with a sloping ramp 23C for lifting the coal from. the floorand delecting it sidewise from the pathV of Athe machine for conveyancefrom the mine workings.

Referring also to Figs. 3 tos 6, cachot A,the main cutters 20, 2l, 22and 23 isan. edgedplate; that is attached to an approximately wedge-likebody, the bodies being indicated by 25, 26, 21 .and 28 repectively. Itwill be noted that thebody of the intermediate cutter 20 is considerablylonger than the bodies 26, 21 Y 2li' projects well in iront o theothers. cutter head. includes a heavy casing 2d in which the bodies25-28 are ail pivotally mounted. The casing 23 is formed with a baseshelf 23A, a top shelf 23B and intermediate shelves 23C,` which dividethe casing interior into compartments eachV accommodating `one of thecutter bodies. The casing 2S is attached by a connector 3d to theadjacent end` wall 8 of the framelike body 'l-ID- of the machine. l

Each of the four cutter bodies is in the nature of ay lever with acentral bearing boss, the several bosses being indicated by 25A, 25A,21A and 23A respectively- From eachv boss there` extends an arm25B',.26B, NB orvZtB of the lever concerned. Each of' these` arms isV inthe form of an interconnected pair oi upper and lower cheeks, and all ofthese cheeks' have terminal eyepieces Z510- 32.80, which bear againstvertical-thrust plugs; 4i fitted into the shelves 2SA-23C. These 3 and 5show, each consist of a cylindrical body, which its firmly into .a holein the shelf above or below the plug, and of a flange which serves' as aslide-bearing surface for the associated cutter-lever bossy 25C, 26C,21C' or 23C. rIhe fulcrumof the iour' lever-liker bodies 25,-28 isafour-part pivot pin. 3|the parts; of which fit slidably through the,bosses. 25A to 2SA. and also through co-axial bearings 3.2. in thecasing shelves 23A-ESG The lowermost part of the pin 3l, is supported bya. cross-pin SIA..

TheV cutter bodies are made like levers in order that they can bepivotally adjustedv so as to vary the setting of, the. cutters Eil-24individually in relation to the supporting casing 23. Therefore eachcutter body has adjustment means. In the example, the means provided foreachV bodyr comprises the following components:

LA turnable screw 33 which is journalled in a bracket 33A on one of fourcovers 34- that are bolted to the casing 29 and form a closure to thefront side of the compartments thereof;V

A nut- 35 which is slidable along a horizontal inner slideway 35 in theassociated. cover and through which vordinarily the screwV 33 isthreaded;

A link 31 pivotally connected at its opposite ends by a pin 38 to theassociated nut 35 and by a pin 33 to the eyepiece of the associatedlever arm 25B, 25B, 21B or 23B.

In order to adjust any of the cutters laterally, the associated screw 33is turnedv appropriately;

plugs lll, as Figs.

lsay-.by means of a ratchet-lever, ora spanner,

ngageable with a square he'adA-on thescrew, this' head extending from.thev casingA 29. Such and 28, so that the cutter 'Thel turning of thescrew causes the nut 35 to move along its slideway 36 and the link 31 tomove angularly in the manner of a toggle-link, so that the cutter isforced to change its angular relationship to the casing 29.

In order to interchange any two of the cutter bodies 25, 23 and 21, thepivot pin 3i is withdrawn upwards part by part sofar as necessary. Theappropriate two screws 33 are unscrewed from their nuts 35 and thesenuts are slid from their slideways 3G. The two associated covers 34 areunbolted and removed, together with their screws 33. Thus, in each ofthe two compartments whose covers have been removed, the followingcomponents lie exposed, namely the nut 35, its link 31 and thecutter-lever arm 25B or 26B or 21B or 23B, as. the case may be, all ofsaid components being freely withdrawable as an assembly from theircompartments. Accordingly, each of the two cutter bodies to beinterchanged and the associated assembly of components 235, 31, 38 and39 are removed from the` cutter head. During removal, the pins 33concerned each slide freely between and away fromr the vertical-thrustplugs il fitted. in the shelves above and below, each of said pinsremaining as the pivotal connection between its link 31 and cutter-leverarm. Thereafter, the cutter bodies with the parts connected to them arere-inserted in their new positions, and the previously withdrawn partsIof the pivot pin 3l, the covers 34 and the nuts 35 are re-positioned.

Patent application No. 146,182.0f the same date as the presentapplication, shows and describes a mining machine the same as is'` shownand described in the present application but claims an invention that isdiferent from the invention hereinafter claimed. f

I claim:

1. A mining machine of the type. stated having a cutter-supportinghead', a plurality of shelves incorporated in said head, said shelvesbeing vertically spaced apart. to provide compartments,

' a. plurality of superposed cutters mounted on said shelves, therebeing one cutter in each intershelf compartment, and said cuttersincluding one which projects. prominently forwards, and a withdrawableplural-part' pin attaching the cutters to the head, the pin parts eachextending between two of said shelves and said pin parts beingwithdrawableso that two of the cuttersA can be detached, removed fromthe head, interchanged and again attached to the head by reinsertion ofthe withdrawn pin parts.

2. A mining machine as claimed by claim 1 in which thecuttersincorporate lever-like bodies which are fulcrumed on the plural-partpin, and in which mechanisms associated with said bodies, respectively,connect the associated bodies to the head, each of said mechanisms beingoperable to adjust the associated cutter body laterally in relation tothe head and said mechanisms including interchangeable components whichare detachable and attachable with the bodies.

3. A mining machine of the type stated having a cutter-supporting head,a plurality of superposed cutters pivotally mounted on said head so asto be laterally movable in relation thereto, supports whereby said headis divided at different levels, a plurality of superposed co-axial pivotpins attaching the individual cutters to said sup'- ports, and manuallyadjustable superposed means for adjusting the cutters. laterally abouttheir pvotl pins there being unev of. said. pivot pins and one :of saidadjustable means for each cutter at References Cited inthe le of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Morgan Aug. 2, 1927 Number NumberNumber 6 Name Date Morgan Aug. 16, 1927 Mavor Nov. 27, 1945 Mavor Jan.1, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Oct. 24, 1947

